What Is a Bioblitz? What Is a Backyard Bioblitz? You Will Need: Directions

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What Is a Bioblitz? What Is a Backyard Bioblitz? You Will Need: Directions

IN YOUR BACKYARD What is a BioBlitz? A BioBlitz is part contest, part festival, part educational event, and part scientific endeavor where MPM brings together a group of scientists in a race against time to see how many species they can count in a 24-hour celebration of biodiversity in a Wisconsin natural area. So far, we have done five total BioBlitz events! Visit our website to check out the work MPM What is a Backyard and other area scientists have done. BioBlitz? In the spirit of MPM’s BioBlitz, we Vocabulary Word! created this backyard version for you to Species: A group of plants or animals do at home! In a race against the clock, that are similar and can produce young count as many individual plant and animals or plants. animal species as you can inside a hula hoop. You will need: Please share any interesting or unique This datasheet A hula hoop findings with us on social media using A pen or pencil A timer #MPMWhatWillYouFind! Directions: 1. Go outside and observe your backyard for five minutes. Notice where the plants and animals are located. 2. Set your hula hoop in an area where you think there will be many living things. 3. Set the timer for five minutes. Press start when you’re ready! 4. Count the number of species you see inside the hula hoop. 5. Record what you see on this datasheet. If you do not know the name of a species, do your best to describe it. 6. Once time is up, take a look at your notes and answer these questions. a. How many species did you find? b. What species did you find that you want to learn more about? c. What factors might aect the number or type of species you found? (Weather, season, etc.) d. If you did this activity again, what would you do dierently? Species Type (plant, Species Name and/or Description animal, insect, fungus) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20.

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R E P O R T S
I LLINOIS NATURAL HISTORY S U RVE Y R e p o r t s Winter 2006 No. 386 I N S I D E 24 Hours: The 2005 Busey Woods BioBlitz Mapping Owned, What brings more than 50 sci- systematics research of a poorly nearly 68% of the total number Managed, or Leased entists together with interested known family of fl ies (Therevi- of species identifi ed at Allerton? Properties of the Il- amateurs and the general public dae) that are not only present in Part of the answer goes to the linois Department of for a 24-hour extravaganza to Illinois, but found worldwide. root of why biodiversity studies Natural Resources see how many species could be The database was fi rst used at the are important and why so many 2 identifi ed from a 59-acre urban Allerton BioBlitz in 2001 where specialists are needed to do this natural area? The 2005 Busey 1,949 species were identifi ed work. Biologists working during New INHS Space Woods BioBlitz, which ran from nearly 3,000 observations the blitz were under no illusion Facilities from noon on June 24 to noon recorded during a 24-hour period that they would identify all of the 3 the following day, was species to be found in sponsored by the Urbana those 59 acres, and in (Illinois) Park District and fact, no one knew how Energy Impact of supported by a grant from many species might be Compact Development the Illinois Department there, because no one vs. Sprawl (Urban Ecology III) of Natural Resources.
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Backyard Bioblitz
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Call to Action #7 - Profiles in Partnering
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Bioblitz Results
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